Bertha Johnson

Bertha Johnson (20 January 1846 – 24 April 1927) was the principal of the Association of Home Students, which would become St Anne's College, University of Oxford, and a campaigner for women's education.[1]

Bertha Johnson
Born20 January 1846
Charing Cross
Died24 April 1927
Oxford
NationalityUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Known forCollege Principal

Life

Her parents were Elizabeth and Dr. Robert Bentley Todd FRS and she was born in Charing Cross on 20 January 1846. Her father was an enthusiast for nursing and he was a Professor at King's College, London. She was educated at home with her brother and she excelled at music and the arts. She played the piano and her work was exhibited at the Royal Academy. She was one of the first women students at the Slade School of Art.[2]

In 1873 she married the Reverend Arthur Henry Johnson, historian and chaplain of All Souls College, Oxford (and FA Cup winner in 1874 with Oxford University), and they both enjoyed Oxford university life. He was a curate who also lectured in history.[2] Following their marriage, the couple lived at 22 Norham Gardens on the Norham Manor estate in North Oxford.[3] They subsequently lived at 8 Merton Street before settling at 5 South Parks Road.[4][5]

The couple had two children:

Robert became Deputy Master and Controller of the Royal Mint while George became headmaster of Alleyne's School, Stevenage.[6][7]

She founded the Association for Promoting the Higher Education of Women in Oxford and helped set up Lady Margaret Hall and Somerville Hall. Oxford was catching up on Cambridge which had established university level education for women. The ambition in Oxford in time overtook Johnson's ambitions and she became a voice arguing against further progress.[2]

From 1894 to 1921 she was the principal of the Association of Home Students, which would become St Anne's College, Oxford.[1]

References
  1. "St Anne's College, Oxford > About the College > Bertha Johnson (1894-1921)". st-annes.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  2. "Johnson [née Todd], Bertha Jane (1846–1927), promoter of women's higher education | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/37611
  3. Banerjee, Jacqueline. "A House in Norham Gardens, North Oxford: The Original Occupants". victorianweb.org. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  4. Furniss, Henry Sanderson (1931). Memories of Sixty Years. Appleton & Company. pp. 50–51. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. Howarth, Janet (23 September 2004). "Johnson [née Todd], Bertha Jane". Oxford DNB. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  6. Warsop, Keith (30 November 2004). The Early F.A. Cup Finals and the Southern Amateurs. Nottingham: SoccerData. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-1899468782.
  7. "Arthur Johnson: A Great Oxford Figure". The Times. London. 1 February 1927. p. 17. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
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